Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?
Admiral Zhao steadily shoots a wide fire stream from the palm of his right hand. Then he clutches his fingers transforming the fire stream into a long thin fire whip. For a brief second his amber eyes meet with the Princess' golden ones. He enjoys her full attention. The Princess is always thrilled to witness his demonstrations. Thus the Admiral swings the fire whip in circles above his head before allowing it to break into a thousand tiny flames just in front of the Princess' feet. The dancing flames reflect in his eyes while he smiles satisfied.
'Your turn, Princess.'
Zuzu tries to reproduce all of Zhao's moves, but fails at swinging the whip in circles. Instead it evaporates into thin air. Frustration arises in her chest. Especially with Zhao's laughter ringing in her ears.
Her frustration turns into tension when Zhao's rough hands help her into the right position. She hopes he can't hear her heart racing, feel her trembling hands, or notice the slight blush on her pale cheeks.
Holding her breath for too long triggers her dizziness. Zuzu loses her balance and falls into Zhao's strong arms. He holds her so close against him she can feel the warmth radiating of his bare chest. His face is so close, too close, to hers. Their lips almost touch.
Zuzu quickly pushes him away and gets back on her feet.
Zhao smirks and says: 'Enough training for today. Time for you to rest.'
Zuzu bows slightly to him before rapidly taking her leave. She passes her uncle who sends her a glare of disapproval.
Two months had passed since the shipwreck. After having Admiral Zhao save her life for a second time, Zuzu accepted his help in catching the Avatar. Therefore becoming his permanent guest on the ship.
He had been surprisingly nice to her.
The minute he saw the shipwreck he jumped into the freezing water to save her. Then he immediately offered her a warm bath, soup and tea to regain her heat. Every night she woke up screaming after reliving her father's rape, the shipwreck, or the Avatar outsmarting her, Zhao would knock on her door and ask if she was okay. He would only leave after she yelled: 'Go away!' Everyday he would tell her to eat more, hoping she would achieve a healthy weight. He would take time off to help her with Fire Bending Training. Together they would hunt down the Avatar.
She remembers the confused look on the kid's face when he saw them cooperating. And how his face turned into pure shock when Zhao told him they were engaged. Priceless.
Zhao took every chance he had to flirt with her, to get close to her, to brush his skin against hers. In the beginning she felt disgusted, uncomfortable or annoyed. Until one day she realized she craved his attention. She felt attracted to his amber eyes, his muscled body, his evil smirk. She can't recollect the moment her dizziness, nausea and trembling, were no longer caused by anxiety, but by her silly crush instead.
Zuzu lusts for the ruthless Admiral. But she won't allow herself to fall in love. Not until she's sure of his intentions. Not if he's just using her to become Fire Lord. Or playing a sick game.
However she can't help but wonder if a passionate night with him would heal her rape trauma.
Zuzu stares at her reflection in the mirror. She still owns a pretty face untouched by her father's abuse. Her skin is soft and pale, her eyes like gold, her lips thin and pink. 'Like a porcelain doll,' her father would say in a mocking tone. Unlike her sister's smooth black locks, her dark brown hair drops in slight waves until her waist, still they share the same silk-like texture. Her armour accentuates her curves. Zuzu undresses, merely leaving her underwear on. Her pale skin reveals some cuts and bruises from fighting the Avatar. She lost so much weight since her banishment it left her too skinny and fragile. Yet she still owns a tiny waist, a firm derriere and a nice bosom as compensation. She looks beautiful as long as her female parts keep covered up. Zuzu carefully drops her underwear to the floor. Her ugly scars become visible.
She recalls her father's words, 'one day, a man shall fall in love with your pretty face. Then one day, he'll remove your clothes only to see your ugly scarred body. And his love will fade. And alone you shall be, forever, Zuzu.' She feels the burning pain of her father's hands on her bare skin. She wonders how Zhao would react if he saw her scars. Would he reject her? Would he call her disgusting? Hideous? An aberration? A monster? Or would he laugh? And tell her she deserved every single scar?
Zuzu breaks down in tears. Naked and alone.
A/N: What does Zhao feel? Love or Lust? Or both? Please Review!